Directional signal for vehicles



April 19 1932- J. R. JOHNSON 1,854,699

DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES y Filed Aug. 21, 1928 ZSheets-Sheet 2 omi u' Patented Apr. 19, 1932 J' 'UNIU S IR. JOHNSON, 0F BEDLANDS,CALIFORNIA DIRECTION AL SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES Application mea August 21,192s. serm No. 301,058.

I My invention' is a direction signal for vehicles giving signals by useof illuminating lamps and pointing arrows.

An object of my invention is the construction of a signal box or housinghaving a plurality of lamps therein and with various compartments forthe lamps so that a series of distinct and different signals may begiven in accordance with the lamps which are illaminated. My inventionalso comprehends the use of colored lenses or glasses for the differentcompartments as well as other compartments having clear glass, the clearglass compartments being adapted. to operate in conjunction with thosehaving the colored glass by using colored lamps under the clear glass. vAnother object of my invention is the construction of a signal box orthe like having an arrow-type of direction signal for right and leftturns, in which the stem of the arrow is common to both of theturns;that is, the stem has arrow heads on each end,'either of which maybe illuminated in conjunction with the stem and, for instance, the headat one end and. stem may be illuminated with one color such as red for aturn in a certain direction, and for the turn in the opposite directionthe opposite head and the stem may be illuminated with another colorsuch as green. In this connection a feature of my invention is havingthe arrows formed by one compartment in the holder having a series oflamp bulbs mounted therein giving different colored illuminations forthe stem of the arrow and utilizing the colored lenses for the heads ofthe arrows. Also the compartment is provided with windows having coloredglass to transmit light of the desired color Another object of myinvention is a construction utilizing the arrow stem as a backing signalor illumination and, if desired,

from the bulbs in the arrow heads to the stem.

signal compartment forming an arrow stem with heads at each end, and atthe junction of the stem and the heads iI have windows of coloredglass.. The stem has a single clear lamp bulb and there are clear glassbulbs in each of the arrow heads in alignment with the stem to shinethrough the colored glasses of the arrow heads and the colored windows1nto the stem. The stem has a clear glass cover and has Atwo coloredlamp bulbs therein, each bulb being of a similar color to that of one ofthe windows and remote from the window of asimilar color. In the centralportion of the device and at the bottom I have a compartment for a clearlamp bulb having preferably a red lens and forming a tail light with anaperture to project li ht downwardly onto a license plate. Positlonedcentrally above the stem I have av compartment with a clearV glass bulbtherein and a.- suitable colored lens forming a stop light signal. Thewiring may be of any suitable character and suitable switches utilized,the latter forming no part of my invention. The housing also has lensesat opposite ends of the structure giving aside illumination from thebulbs in the arrow heads, these lenses being suitably colored. t

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an elevation taken in the direc- 8 tion of the arrow l of Fig.2,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal horizontal section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the interior of the 85 housing with the faceplatev and lenses removed,

Fig. 4 is a rear view with the back cover removed showing the wiring, ly 90 Fig'. 5"s an elevation lot the face plate showing the lenses,

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section on the line 6-6of Fig. 2 in thedirection of the arrows, v

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the signal showingy a left-hand turn signal,

Fig. 8 is a similar elevation showing a right-hand turn signal,

Fig. 9 is awiring diagram. 100

In constructing my invention I have a suitable housing 11 provided witha cover plate 12 havin glass' covers o'r lenses designated generally ythe numeral 13 therein, and with a back cover plate 14 secured by bolts15 or the like to a back plate 16 of the housing. It is to be understoodthat this housing may be made in any suitable manner and not necessarilylimited to that illustrated in the draw- 1n s.

t('lhe housing has a main compartment 17 having a longitudinal-. crossportion 18 to form an arrow stem and having marginal portions 19 and 20formed in the shape of arrow heads. At each end of theA stem there arewindows 21 and 22 of colored glass, thus separating the stem from theopposite arrow heads.

In the middle and the lower part of the housing there is anothercompartment 23 for a tail light signal, this having an opening 24 at thebottom so that the light may shine on a License plate 25 suspended belowthe housing. There is also preferably an opening 26 between thecompartment 23 and the central portion 18 forming the stem of the arrow.Directly above the tail light compartment there is another compartment27 forming a stop light lamp compartment.

In these various compartments I have -a clear lamp 28 in the center ofthe arrow head stem compartment 18 and a clear globe 29 in the taillight compartment 23. A clear globe 30 is placed in the stop lightcompartment 27 and there are also clear globes 31 and 32 inthe arrowheads 19 and 20 in alignment with the stem compartment 18. A coloredlamp 33 is positioned in the stem compartment 18 of the s'ame color asthe window 21, and the lamp 34 is also of the same color as the window22.

The glass covers or lenses are preferably arranged as follows, referencebeing directed particularly to Fig. 5: In this case an elongated centralglass 35 is formed of clear or ground glass and covers the stemcompartment 18 of the arrow. The arrow head glass or lens 36 is coloredand indicated as red. The opposite arrow head 37 is also colored andindicated as green. The window 21 corresponds in color'to the glass 36and would be red, the window 22 corresponding to the glass 37 and wouldbe colored green. Therefore, the lamp 33 would be red and the lamp 34would be green, in the instance given. The tail light glass 38 ispreferably red to conform to the legal requirements, and the stop lightglass 39 may be red, amber or any other suitable color.

The ends of the housing are provided with y glasses or lenses 40 and 41,there being openings 42 in the inner structure of the housing to allowtransmission of light from the end lamps 31 and 32 through the lenses 40and 41.

The wiring connection is indicated particularlyin Figs. 2 and 4, inwhich it will be seen that there is a lead wire 43 connected by branches44 to the lamps 31 and 33, all of the lamps being grounded. Another leadwire 45 connects by the branches 46 to the lam s 34 and 32. A lead 47connects to the tailight lamp 29. A lead 48 connects to the backinglight 28 and a lead 49 connects to the stop light lamp 30.

The manner of functioning of my invention is substantially as follows,reference being directed particularly to Figs. 7 and 8: In normal nightrunning the tail-light lamp 29 having the clear globe is illuminated andtransmits a red light through the glass 38 rearwardl and also throwslight downwardly throug the opening 24 onto the license plate 25. Acertain amount of this light also passes through the opening 26 into thestem compartment 18 of the arrow and gives this a faint whiteillumination merely suliicient to show a person where the signal li htsare on the housing and on the automo ile. In giving the slow or stopsignal the lamp 30 is illuminated transmitting a red or other suitablelight through the colored glass 39. If a person wishes to back, thelight 28 is illuminated, which, on account of the rear glass 35 in thestem portion of the arrow, gives a white light which, depending on thestrength of the bulb, may be suiicient to illuminate the roadway back ofthe vehicle. In giving a left-hand turn signal the operator controls thelamps so that the current is transmitted through the lead 43 and thenceto the clear bulb 31 and to the colored bulb 33. The clear bulb gives ared light through the red glass 36 of the arrow head and also transmitsa red light through the red window 21 to the stem 1'8 showing a redillumination for part of this stem. The opposite end of the stem isilluminated by the red colored bulb 33. These colors for the left-handturn signal are indicated in Fig. 7. To give a right-hand turn signalthe operator controls a switch transmitting current through the wires 45and 46 to the clear Ylamp 32 and to the colored lamp 34 indicated asgreen. Therefore, the arrow pointing to the right has a greenillumination from the lamp 34 and from the green colored lighttransmitted through the window 22 to the stem, and by the green coloredglass 37 over the compartment 20, this arrow showing as illustrated inFig. 8. It will thus be seen that these two opposite directional signalsmay be given, utilizing but four lamps and havlng the stem of the arrowscommon to -both signals, but illuminated the same color as the head ofthe arrow for each of the signals.

When it is desired to install my signal on the front of a vehicle thefront license plate can` also be illuminated if desired, and the lens 38may be white. As in most states red switch lever 54 and thus close thecircuit tol thesignals on the front and rear of a vehicle in the samemanner.

In Fig. 6 is illustrated the wiring diagram in which I provide thesupply lines 50 and 51 of which line 51 is indicated as beingrounded.The tail light 29 has a lead 4 with switch 52 therein, this switchmaking.

a connection with the lead 50 so that by closing the switch 52 the taillight is always illuminated. The stop light 30 -is connected by the lead49`to a contact 53 and may be engaged by a moving switch 54 which isindicated as connected to the supply lead 50. The backing light 28 has alead'48 which connects to the contact 55. Therefore, by moving theswitch 54 this backing light may be illuminated. The lamps 31 and 33 inthe arrow have leads 44 and 43 to the contact 56. The other lamps 34 and32 of the other arrow have leads 46 and y45 to 'the contact 57.

These contacts 56 or 57 may be closed by the venience this has beenillustrated as having a single stem with two V-shaped structures at theend, such structures pointing in opposite directions and forming, ineffect, a conventional double-headed arrow. However, the tips of theV-shaped structures are spaced a considerable distance from the centralstem as this gives greater visibility at further distances than in asolid arrow head shape.`

From the standpoint of carrying and purchasingequipment, the driver needonly essentially carry a supply of clear lamps, as, if one of hiscolored lights, for illuminating the stem, should give out, he wouldstill have an effective signal from the illuminated arrow head given bya vclear lamp. Therefore, from the practical standpoint, it is muchbetter to have as few colored lamps as possible and obtain the .colorfor signalling by the glass covers of different compartments.

,Therefore in the claims where I have designated devices as being arrowheads or the equivalent, this is intended to cover any; suitable pointeror pointing device on the common stem.

Various changes may be made in the principles of my invention withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof, as set forth in th description,drawings and claims. f

I claim:

1. A' direction signal having a housin with an elongated centralcompartment an an end compartment at each end thereof, the central andthe end compartments being shaped to form a double headed arrow with thecentral 'compartment forming the stem and the end compartments the arrowheads,

a colored glass forming a coverfor each of.

the arrow head compartments, these being of different colors, and awindow between the stem and each of the arrow heads, each windowcorresponding in color with the covering of the adj acent arrow head, aclear glass cover for the stem, a central clear lamp in the stem and'two colored lam ls on each side thereof, each lamp correspon ing incolor to the window and the arrow head coverin remote therefrom, thearrow heads each having a clear glass lamp in alignment with the centralcompartment, electric circuits whereby.

the stem compartment alone may be illuminated by. the clear lamp thereinand give a white light or whereby the stem compartment and one of thearrow lieads may transmit a colored light, such light corresponding tothe color of the glass cover of such arrow head by the illumination ofthe lamp contained in such arrow head and the transmission of such lightthrough the colored window adjacent thereto and also from the coloredlamp in Jthe stem remote from such window, or, vice versa, the arrowstem and the opposite arrow head may transmita diierent colorcorresponding to the color of the glass covering of such latter arrowhead and the colored window adj acent thereto transmitting light to thestem, and the stem also having the light from the colored lamp in suchstem of the same color as the window and the arrow head covering ing,may transmit through the opening to the stem compartment.

3. A direction signal having a housing with compartments forming adouble headed arrow, such compartments comprising an elongated centralcompartment with two end compartments shaped as arrow heads, a fourthcompartment adjacent the stem com partment and having an opening to suchstemV compartment, the ends of the stem compartment having'coloredwindows of a diiferent color at each lend and the adjacent arrow headcompartments having a cover corresponding in color to the adjacentwindow, the stem compartment having a clear glass cover and the fourthcompartment adjacent thereto for a tail light having a colored glasscover, the stem, the arrow heads, and the tail light compartments eachhaving clear lamps, the lamps in the arrow heads being in alignment withthe stem, the stem having two colored lamps, there being one lampcorresponding to the color of one of the -windows and onev of the arrowhead covers and another lamp corresponding in color with the other arrowhead and the other window, electric circuits whereby when the lamp inthe tail light compartment is lit a colored light is transmitted fromsuch tail light compartment and a clear white light is transmittedthrough the said opening into the arrow stem compartment and whereby theclear lamp in the arrow stem com artment may be`i1luminated to theexcluslon of the colored lamps or the clear lamps in the arrowheadcompartments, such circuits also providing for the illumination of theclear lamps in either of the arrow heads and one of the colored lamps inthe stem compartment, such latter lamp corresponding in color to thearrow head cover which is illuminated and the window to the arrow stemadjacent the said arrow head.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

J UNIUS R. JOHNSON.

